Humbled And Frustrated Already!

So I started trucking school a few weeks ago. We are through all the book work and are now in the yard working on skills. Granted we have only been in the yard 2 days and I've only had about 2 hours behind the wheel myself. BUT here is my frustration . I've had a Class B for years. I drove a box truck here and there, drove a school bus on and off over the years. I have driven a pickup and backed up trailers since I was 15 years old. Boat trailers, sled trailers. Anything you can hook to a pickup in almost any situation.

When I had the chance to do offset backing for the first time in a tractor trailer, I looked like a monkey ******* a football!!! Its like I have never backed a trailer before in my life!!! Now I only got about 45 min so far to work on it but I was unsuccessful in the sleeper with the 53 foot or the day cab with a 30 foot. Hell I even struggle with straight line!(haven't even tried ally dock yet) Guys that have barely driven a car picked it up almost right away. I'm usually the guy at the boat launch laughing at others trying to back their boats in the water. Is this normal? Is it just because I have bad habits from how I would normally back? Man I sure Hope its something I can pick up? I'm a little frustrated with the first instructor. He watched my try about 20 times and screw it up every time without saying anything until I finally said to him "do you want to keep watching me screw it up? or do you have any advise?

Needless to say its very humbling for a grown man to get in one of these trucks and try to back it up the first time. Any words of advice/encouragement? Or similar stories? Defiantly need to check your ego at the door in these classes.

I haven't ever seen you back up, but judging from your history I can guarantee you that your problem is most likely over-steering. Remember, when you're backing up a 53' trailer that it responds better to small adjustments/corrections. What I mean by that is, you shouldn't turn the steering wheel all the way to the right or left. You'll end up in a jackknifed position if you do that.

If you're backing up a boat you can steer hard to the left and right, whatever you want. But the car has such amazing steering capabilities that you can easily correct it. Not a truck, if you steer to hard you'll end up in a position where you're almost an 'L' shaped. If you've done that then it's too late. You need to always keep control of the trailer.

So my advice, the next time you're out on the yard make sure to not turn the steering wheel hard. You can honestly do an alley dock not turning the wheel more than 1/2 steering revolution.

That's the mistake I made in school. I started off with a hard left, then hard right, then hard left... Then its so lost and confused I would just reset myself after that failure.

Also, give it time. No offense, but Class B is kindergarden easy and everything you've driven in the past with that B license is too. So just because you had a B license does not give you an advantage or make you better than the average guy coming in. So I would shift your mindset from "I had a Class B and I drove this and that and that and this" to "I'm a rookie and completely new to this world so I'll proceed as a student". Don't have a chip on your shoulder, that's dangerous.

Backing is one of the toughest aspects of this job. You're only a few hours into it, it'll be about another 6 months before you're semi-comfortable with backing up. So take your time and learn.

Hey Mike. Don't sweat it for a moment. Of course you'll pick it up just fine. There's a very good chance you had an idea in your mind about how the truck was going to act and what you were going to do. Instead of just wingin' it like the new guys who never did it and simply reacted to what they were seeing, you were relying on past experiences which don't translate easily to bigger vehicles with a completely different view from the cab. Your eyes have to adjust to what you're seeing and you have to adjust your reactions to the vehicle you're in.

One source of frustration is likely your timing. The larger the vehicle the longer it takes before your steering inputs actually have an affect on the vehicle. In a shorter vehicle you make a move and the thing reacts. In a longer vehicle you make a move and then call the pizza place to order lunch while you're waiting for something to happen. So you have to make your moves a lot sooner than you would with a shorter trailer, you have to hold your corrections longer than with a shorter vehicle, and you have to wait on that longer trailer to react. It's like everything happens in slow motion with a longer vehicle.

But the principles are exactly the same. If you were pretty good backing shorter vehicles you'll be great backing longer ones. Actually you'll find that longer vehicles are easier in a way because they don't jump around so much. Put a little Uhaul trailer behind a guy who's used to pulling 53 footers and he'll jackknife that thing back and forth like a windshield wiper.

So just go out there, relax, and have some fun. It will click in no time and you'll get it down. It might not come quite as quickly and easily as you had hoped, but once you do adjust to the timing and the line of sight you'll get it down like nothing. I would guess you'll struggle like a clumsy fool for a very short time yet, suddenly it will click, and you'll find yourself amongst the best ones out there.

And because you've backed shorter trailers there's no such thing as "not being able to get it" with the longer ones. The principles are exactly the same. So you already know how to do it. You just haven't adjusted yet. Your previous experiences are hurting you at the moment, but once you adjust to the longer trailer they'll be a big help.

But seriously, try to relax and have fun with it. It isn't a contest. Everyone in your class is going to get this and you'll all be professional drivers one day. I wrote an article recently that I think you'll enjoy. It's a look at what you guys are going through from the eyes of an experienced driver. Because to us, The Backing Range At Trucking Driving School Is Like Clown Soup For The Soul. You'll enjoy that.

Don't lose a minute of sleep over it. You'll be great at it. Just give yourself time and allow yourself to adjust to the changes.

Thanks, And you are correct. I'm sure i'm way way over steering. And once I make the mistake early on in the attempt its already to late to correct and I get frustrated And like I said I didn't think I was going into it really overconfident but even after even the first 3 try's failing to do an offset, Im definitely NOT confident now. It seems like A guy may be able to pick it up faster if he had never backed a trailer in his life. L It was very humbling.

I haven't ever seen you back up, but judging from your history I can guarantee you that your problem is most likely over-steering. Remember, when you're backing up a 53' trailer that it responds better to small adjustments/corrections. What I mean by that is, you shouldn't turn the steering wheel all the way to the right or left. You'll end up in a jackknifed position if you do that.

If you're backing up a boat you can steer hard to the left and right, whatever you want. But the car has such amazing steering capabilities that you can easily correct it. Not a truck, if you steer to hard you'll end up in a position where you're almost an 'L' shaped. If you've done that then it's too late. You need to always keep control of the trailer.

So my advice, the next time you're out on the yard make sure to not turn the steering wheel hard. You can honestly do an alley dock not turning the wheel more than 1/2 steering revolution.

That's the mistake I made in school. I started off with a hard left, then hard right, then hard left... Then its so lost and confused I would just reset myself after that failure.

Also, give it time. No offense, but Class B is kindergarden easy and everything you've driven in the past with that B license is too. So just because you had a B license does not give you an advantage or make you better than the average guy coming in. So I would shift your mindset from "I had a Class B and I drove this and that and that and this" to "I'm a rookie and completely new to this world so I'll proceed as a student". Don't have a chip on your shoulder, that's dangerous.

Backing is one of the toughest aspects of this job. You're only a few hours into it, it'll be about another 6 months before you're semi-comfortable with backing up. So take your time and learn.

Man, after Daniel's and Brett's advice, I feel better and I haven't even tried it yet! I'm sure you feel better too, Mike. You might come back with some details when you do get it down so the rest of us anticipating "feeling humbled and frustrated" can celebrate your success with you and look forward to slaying that "backing dragon" just like you will do. Don't know about anyone else, but I'm heading for that article Brett recommended right now. Hope we don't all get there at the same time and crash the server . . .

Jopa

It's a look at what you guys are going through from the eyes of an experienced driver. Because to us, The Backing Range At Trucking Driving School Is Like Clown Soup For The Soul. You'll enjoy that.

If you are looking for a "how to" that's not here. If you want some good, sincere advice and some serious laughter, this is the place. I got some real belly laughs at the expense of my future foolish looking self. Very good, Brett. Thanks again for saying just the kind of stuff we all need to hear.

Jopa

I got some real belly laughs at the expense of my future foolish looking self. Very good, Brett. Thanks again for saying just the kind of stuff we all need to hear.

Glad you enjoyed it! It's really important to keep in mind that everyone learns a lot better if they're relaxed and trying to enjoy themselves a little bit. Trucking is an incredibly challenging and risky career but you can't allow yourself to get all wound up tight. It's common to focus harder and perform a little better if you're feeling a little bit of pressure and giving it your all, but you have to stay relaxed and composed enough to think clearly and allow yourself to evaluate things properly and make good decisions. It can be a fine line.

But some of the best memories you'll have of your trucking career will be your time in school. Believe it or not I remember as many details about my 7 weeks of schooling and my two weeks on the road with a trainer as I do the entire 15 years I drove because everything was so new and incredible that I was just jacked with excitement all the time. I remember most of my time in training like it was yesterday. It was one of the most amazing times of my life. So don't let it slip past without having some fun and making some great memories. Learning doesn't have to be a grind. In fact, it shouldn't be a grind. You'll come across instructors whose personality and approach might make it feel that way at times and you'll have some ups and downs along the way. But have all the fun you can and enjoy the ride. Very few people on this planet will ever get the opportunity to drive one of the biggest, most beautiful machines mankind has ever created - a big ole American big rig! There's nothing in the world cooler than that!

Brett, I had not seen that article until just now. You cant believe how much better it made me feel! You could not have described the situation more perfectly. I actually think I now know why the instructors seemed so unhelpful the first day. 2 reasons. 1st, I bet its hilarious to watch grown men screw up and get mad over and over again and lose their cool (why waste some good laughs) and 2nd they probably figure by letting us try it own way incorrectly over and over that by day 2 we will be begging for their help once our egos are completely demolished!

It was interesting to see the guys who had never even seen a trailer before pick it up quicker. It defiantly seems the more you think you know the worse off you will be. Just like shifting. The instructor even mentioned that the guys who drive manual cars are much harder to teach shifting.

Thanks for the words of encouragement

Im not exaggerating when I tell you this article could not possibly be more spot on to what you experience on the backing range! Good luck

It's a look at what you guys are going through from the eyes of an experienced driver. Because to us, The Backing Range At Trucking Driving School Is Like Clown Soup For The Soul. You'll enjoy that.

If you are looking for a "how to" that's not here. If you want some good, sincere advice and some serious laughter, this is the place. I got some real belly laughs at the expense of my future foolish looking self. Very good, Brett. Thanks again for saying just the kind of stuff we all need to hear.

Jopa

It was interesting to see the guys who had never even seen a trailer before pick it up quicker. It defiantly seems the more you think you know the worse off you will be. Just like shifting. The instructor even mentioned that the guys who drive manual cars are much harder to teach shifting.

You nailed it man. That's it exactly. The instructors are simply letting it play out. They know you'll get it at some point but it can't be forced on you. Everyone learns differently. Some people will get lucky and pick up on something right away. Others will be looking for clues in all the wrong places at first. But sooner or later it all comes together and everyone gets through it just fine.

Honest to God, having the wrong expectations about how to handle a rig, how trucking companies operate, and what life on the road will be like causes 10 times more grief than actually learning to drive the truck or living on the road. We get something set in our minds and that's what we expect. When it doesn't happen that way we go through stages of denial, grief, and frustration until we finally accept the fact that our preconceptions were wrong. We stop letting our egos get the best of us, we open our minds, start with a clean slate, relax, take our time, and we listen to what we're being taught. Suddenly it all comes together and we're perfectly fine in the end. How rocky the path is getting to that end will depend on the stubbornness of our egos, how entrenched our misconceptions are, and how open minded we are to what we're seeing and being taught.

If that instructor had gone out there and immediately started telling you what to do your reaction would have likely been, "Back off bro. I've got this. Done it a million times." If he goes out there right away and starts rifling off procedures to someone with absolutely no idea what to expect he's simply going to confuse and overwhelm them. The best thing an instructor can do is give everyone a little time and space to wrap your mind around what that truck will do and come to grips with the challenge that lies ahead. Once you've made some mistakes and tried a few different things the instructors will know what type of approach you're taking and they'll be able to help you adjust. But they have to take a little time to see where you need help just like you need to take a little time to get your mind around things.

But believe me, if you'll relax and go with the flow you'll do awesome. Don't get wound up tight and don't ever doubt yourself. Take it one moment at a time, relax, have fun along the way, and trust in the system. Millions and millions of people have done this before you and many millions will follow behind in the same path you're on now. Everyone has their ups and downs. Everyone has their strong and weak points. Give yourself the opportunity to work through them. Cut yourself some slack when you make a mistake and look for every opportunity to learn from your instructors and from your classmates. You'll learn a lot by watching other people and talking things through. In fact a lot of the best lessons will come when you're not even the one behind the wheel.

Getting started in trucking really is a crazy process for everyone. Nobody ever comes close to guessing what it takes to handle one of those rigs and nobody has a clue what life on the road is really like. It's all a big shock and a huge change in your life. Just take it one moment at a time and be patient. In the end it will all work out perfectly if you keep a great attitude and work hard every day.